Demodectic Mange -
Diagnosis,Treatment, Prevention

Diagnosis and Treatment of Demodectic Mange in Dogs

 

What Causes Demodectic Mange?

Demodectic mange is also known as "demodicosis" or red mange. The culprit is a microscopic mite of the Demodex genus known as Demodex canis that lives inside the hair follicles, and which makes them difficult to target with topical preparations. There are two other species of demedectic mange mite that infect dogs, however, they are not as common as Demodex canis. There are two forms of demodicosis in dogs: those that develop small, localized areas of affected skin, and those that develop a large, generalized affected area, often covering much of the body, including the feet. Demodectic mange mites are normally present on most dogs, but only seem to create a problem for animals that suffer from a compromised immune system, stress or very poor diet. Once this mange starts to take hold as a result of the aforementioned conditions, it can be very difficult to eradicate, with serious consequences.

What are the Symptoms?

Symptoms include hair loss, skin irritation, crustiness, scabbiness and sometimes itchiness. Skin infections from scratching and from skin damage by the mange mite itself can also occur, with attendant high fever and swelling, and if these infections are left untreated they can become severe to the point of life threatening.

How is Demodectic Mange Diagnosed?

Deep skin scrapings are taken by a veterinarian, and these are examined under a microscope for the presence of mites, since they are not visible to the naked eye. It isn't a bad idea to have your dog examined for a possible underlying cause of the outbreak, because a healthy dog with a strong immune system will not usually suffer from this syndrome.

What is the Treatment for Demodectic Mange?

If you take steps to ensure your dog is healthy, that is,

1. make sure he is eating a proper diet with appropriate vitamins and supplements for his age and energy expenditure;
2. getting enough exercise; 
3. has clean living quarters
4. has access to fresh clean drinking water
5. is not suffering from stress
6. is on a regular worming program
7. is on a regular heartworm preventative program
8. is not infested with fleas
9. doesn't have any secondary infections due to scratching or chewing the sites

...then the localized form of this disease may well clear by itself. You can apply topical ointments such as Mange Mud or Mange Cream which will soothe the skin and aid in healing. You need to pay close attention to the affected areas - if they stay the same or get smaller with time and ointment, all is well, but if they start to get larger and spread to other areas of the dog's body, you may need to consult your veterinarian and get a prescription for antibiotics and one of the oral medications and medicated dips such as Ivermectin and Mitaban. Promeris has been used with great success on stubborn cases of demodectic mange.

What about Natural Mange Treatments?

There are several excellent natural mange treatment products on the market, and most aren't anywhere near as expensive as repeated visits to your veterinarian.

Is Demodectic Mange Contagious?

This type of mange is not particularly contagious, however, it is believed that demodectic mange is most often transferred from a bitch to her pups almost immediately after their birth. Bottle raised pups that have never nursed or had any physical contact with their mother can be pretty much free of these mites for a period. Once the pups have reached the age of about 2 weeks old, and if they are normal healthy puppies, they are not easily infected with demodectic mange. Cats and humans are NOT susceptible to this type of demodectic mange, so worries about being contaminated from handling an infected dog are unfounded. Occasionally, several dogs from the same household will be diagnosed with demodicosis - this may be a function of similar stresses in the same environment, or similar diet or perhaps both. It is also not unusual for one animal to be infected, while all the others are not.

Is this Hereditary - Can I Still Breed My Dog?

There is some evidence that the predisposition to developing generalized demodectic mange can be inherited, so breeding a dog that has had this form of the problem is unwise since any resulting pups may very well develop demodicosis and cause problems for you, the breeder, from unhappy puppy buyers. Dogs that have had generalized demodicosis should be spayed or neutered.

The picture to the left is an excerpt from an original photograph of a demodectic mange mite next to a hair for size comparison and was taken through a microscope at 400x magnification. Obtained from a skin scraping of a dog with demodecosis.

Picture by Joel Mills, courtesy of Wikipedia. To see the original picture on Wikipedia, click the image to the left.

 

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Bibliography:

Wikipedia
Casey Fisher - Everyday Solutions Rx